Lizard ID help please.

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   Hello all.
First time poster hoping for help in identifying these little guys I unintentionally disturbed in my cheshire garden.

I presumed they were common lizards but am a little confused by the statement on the ID pages that common lizard young are very dark
				brown/black in colour which these are certainly not.

I spotted 4 in total which were all 2-3cm in length.
Sorry about the quality of the photos, it was a 'grab my phone quick' moment.

Thanks for the help.

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chrisd Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List New Member Joined: 28 Sep 2013 Status: Offline Points: 4	Post Options Post Reply Quote chrisd Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Lizard ID help please. Posted: 28 Sep 2013 at 2:01pm
	Hello all. First time poster hoping for help in identifying these little guys I unintentionally disturbed in my cheshire garden. I presumed they were common lizards but am a little confused by the statement on the ID pages that common lizard young are very dark brown/black in colour which these are certainly not. I spotted 4 in total which were all 2-3cm in length. Sorry about the quality of the photos, it was a 'grab my phone quick' moment. Thanks for the help.

Iowarth Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 12 Apr 2004 Status: Offline Points: 743	Post Options Post Reply Quote Iowarth Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 30 Sep 2013 at 12:31pm
	Hi Chris, Firstly, apologies for the delay in authorising your post. You have made a common and understandable error. These are actually young newts, although whether smooth or palmate I cannot tell you. Many people regard newts as primarily pond dwellers and thus mistake them when seen on land. In fact, they spend much of their lives on land. Particularly, but not exclusively, they spend up to the first 2-3 years of their life on land, after leaving the pond immediately after metamorphosis. All the best Chris
	Chris Davis, Site Administrator Co-ordinator, Sand Lizard Captive Breeding Programme (RETIRED)